Shackle seal



SEAL

INVENTOR.

'plpalila BY 7 /S.

Patented Jan. 16, 1951 SHACKLE SEAL Antonio di Palma, Pueblo, 0010., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, of one-half to Rafiaele Perrotta Application March 8,1948, Serial No. 13,640

. '2 Claims. A 1 This invention relates to an improved shackle seal for box cars, meters, coin receivers, and the like.

In many devices of the present character, it is necessary, in order to secure the free end .of the plate 12, both now to be described in detail. Both may be of compressible metal, as is well known 1, in the art, or some soft alloy, but this feature is Y not imperative, and the base and cover plate may shackle wire in the metal pellet employed, to mash or otherwise mutilate said pellet. Such ,7

procedure has certain disadvantages, the most objectionable of which, perhaps, is the fact that the free end of the shackle wire is not always securely anchored.

The present invention therefore has as its objects to provide a seal wherein the free end of the shackle wire may, without the necessity of mutilating the head employed, be securely tied in be of hard metal, or plastic, if so desired.

At one end, the base II, as particularly seen in Figure 8, is formed with a recess I3 which defines a surrounding flange l4 within which the cover plate-l2 normally fits snugly. The recess has a flat floor I5. Formed in the floor of the:

recess is a socket l6, from which leads a slot l'l' emerging through the periphery of the'base.

the head, wherein the free end of said wire, once tied in the head, may not be untied without mutilating the head or cutting the wire, and wherein the head will, on the one hand, be formed to facilitate the tying of the free end of the shackle wire therein, and, on the other hand, will also be formed to lock the free end of said wire tied, so that the intermediate portion of the wire may not be pulled forwardly torelease the wire while, also, the terminal free end portion of the.

wire may not be pushed backwardly out of the head to free the wire.

Other and incidental objects of the invention will appear during the course of the following description, and in the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the head of my improved seal, the cover plate employed being removed. 1

Figure 2 is an edge elevation of the device, the cover plate being omitted.

Figure 3 is a vertical'section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, the cover plate being in place.

Figure 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure l, the cover plate being in place. 7

Figures 5, 6, and '7 are more or less diagrammatie plan views showing how the free end of the shackle wire is tied in the head, the cover plate being omitted.

Figure 8 is a perspective view particularly showing the head and cover plate.

Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the seal in use.

In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a head, indicated as a whole at H]. The head is preferably circular, as a head of such shape has been found the most economical to manufacture. However, I do not wish to be limited in this respect, as the head may be of other configuration. 7

I8 is much deeper than the slot I9. as between the two slots, the slot I8 may be The base I l is further provided with a chordal slot l8, intersecting which'is a diametric slot 19, 1.1.5

so that the two slots are crossed to define what may be described as short ends above their intersection, as seen in Figure 1, and long ends below' their intersectiom As seen in Figure 3, the slot Therefore,

' designated as the deep slot, and the slot l9 as the shallow slot.

7 It is now to be noted that between the long 1 ends of the slots l8 andfl9, the peripheral wall of the base I l as well as the floor [5 of the recess I3 is cut away to provide a clearance space, designated in Figure 4 at 20. In thus cutting away the floor, a triangular boss 2! is defined,

the upper surface ,of which is lower than the floor but higher than the bottom of either of the slots IE or l9. This boss therefore forms an island between the long ends of said slots. At its outer periphery, the boss is beveled, as indicated at 22, and formed in the apex portion of said boss is a circular socket 23 providing a shoulder 24. Rising eccentrically from said socket near the upper portion of the rim thereof is apost 25 suitably fixed in the base H.

Fixed at one end in the socket l6 of the base i I to extend through the slot H is a shackle wire 26. The cover plate I2 is applied over the fixed end of said wire, and may be irremovably secured in position by indenting the flange 14, upsetting said flange, or other approved manner. The wire 2B is flexibly resilient, but, preferably, somewhat hard and somewhat resistant to bending in the fingers of the hand.

As will now be appreciated, the device is supplied, commercially, with the head !Ei fixed to one end of the shackle wire 26, and in Figure 9 of the drawings, I have shown a typical use of the device; conventional ears to be sealed being indicated at 21.

To tie the shackle wire 26 in the head Ill, the

The head It comprises a base ll. ands cover as free end portion of the wire is. as shown in Figs ure 5, first inserted through the deep slot i8, after which the wire is bent to form a loop 28, when the free end of the wire is, as shown in Figure 6, inserted through the shallow slot 19 to cross over the portion of the wire lying in the slot 18. The purpose of the deep and shallow slots thus becomes clear. The deep slot I8 is of a depth to accommodate'thediameter ofithefwiregsoa that that when thefree end of the wire is. inserted through the slot I9, said end of the wire will easily ride over the portion of the wire in the slot [28.

After the wire 28 is looped through the. slots.l8

and H], as shown in Figure 6, the free end 'ofthe' wire is then pulled taught andttight, EtSeShGWIllill Figure 7. Looking at the loop zieofithez wiresas shown in Figure 6, it will be seen that, as the terminal end of the wire is pu1led, -said lQQD-Wil1 ride a up and over the beveled face 22 of the boss 2| to enter the clearance space 20, after which as-zsa'id loop grows smaller it.'-.wi1l ride across said boss to renter.the-isocketfl 3 imengagement about thez'post .125. Thus; as. shown ini- -Eigure 7;. it? is ..thenonly ineeessarytopull the loopa2fi tightabout said post, when the loop will. seat yin said socket. :,In.this connection, .it is-tobe-noted that the portionof the i-wireizfi inthe slot is isconfined-by the plate 12 f-;to,;-closely1.overliethe portion of the-wire in the -;Sl0ii 8, .andzsince.saidrportionsof the wirewcross teach other-close byathe post=2 5, the portioneof the ireiinrthesslot I-9 rbecauseiof-its-resiliency-will, 30

' =ei-Qds 'fth "1" d I whentheeloopifits-iscontractedsufiiciently-to be 3 e S obs towal tne apex erebetween receivedintthesocketi3,1force: thec-loop into said ssocketi toeseat therein and thereafterprevent the IQQD from riding .-upzthe .post-'out-,of@said socket.

..-Assum-ing nowthattheashackle wire'riitt isttied 35 initheehead, Iii, ;.-as- .-previe1-1sly described-it will be iseengthat, as: shown in-Fignre 7.,- the !-intermediate .;.portion of the wirelmaypnot isincetthe-wireihas be,en, bent into a tight loop about thepost; 25, be pushed backwards. .SIhe shoulder. 2a of the'socket. 2.3 iwouldg revent :anysuch procedure while,

should the terminal end of thewirecbegpulled the aloopiifi would; only-lcchthetighter about. the post.

:l-Iaving thus described invention, I claim:

1 1.,A shackleqsealeincluding a head comprising .aatbase and: cover plate thereforiirremovably se 4 cured to the base, a shackle wire secured at one end to the base, the base being formed beneath said plate with intersecting slots crossed near corresponding ends thereof to define long ends and short ends, one of said slots being deeper than the other whereby the free end portion of the wire may be first inserted between the base and plate th oligh lthe cleep -slot andi-then returned .throught the shallowsslotmver .thei'portion of the wire lying in the deep slot to form a loop anchored near the apex between the long ends of said slots, ,md a post fixed beneath saidplate to the base near said apex about which said post the loop ma'ycbind, theshase being formed about said post awitlnassoeket:tozaccommodate the loop tightened aboutztherpostieand providing an adjacent shoul- .de,r.-adaptedrtolblock expansion of said loop.

"'2. A'shacizl'e seal including a head comprisi-ringzia base and cover plate therefor irremovably secured to the base, a shackle wire secured at one :endttoa the base.- said: base having: a recess .therein Lbeneath;.saidg-plateiandrbeing formed-Tin: thefloor of said recess with intersecting slots one deeper thanzthevzztheraand crossedrnear: corresponding fiiazends :thereof to define L-long ends and' short tends andi-saidtiioor being-nut wawayrbetweenithe long fiends lojxsaid slots to provide i-axclearance :ispace i to accommodate the *movement-'of: a loopcof the F free end portion of sai'd wire r between the .long

and a post fixed beneath said plate to' thebase betweenthelong ends of the-slots near said-apex, 'the' base being provided Witha SOcket about said post," whereby the "free end' of the wire "may i be first "inserted betweenthe base and plate through "'the'de'eper'ofsaid slotsandthen returne'd'through the ,more shallow lof said'slotstover'theportion of I ftheiwireflying in said deeper slot to provide a .loop 'inovable through said :clearancespace into said socket tightened. about. saidpost.

' ANTONIO m PALMA.

REFERENGES CITED ;The.fol-lowing referencesare of recordzinmthe file of ;.this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS *2 Number Name Date 343,849 Pond -Junei.15. 1886 

